Demonstrators in Beirut march to demand Palestinian rights

Thousand of people rallied in Beirut this weekend in support of Lebanon’s Palestinian refugee population. The demonstrators demanded equal rights for the Palestinians, many of which have lived in Lebanon for generations. Currently, Lebanese Palestinians are restricted in what jobs they can hold, get paid less than Lebanese citizens for doing the same jobs, and do not have access to state aid.

The protest comes in the wake of the Gaza flotilla incident, where protesters and relief workers attempted to break Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip. The operation left nine people dead and resulted in a major international outcry for Israel to end the blockade, which has been in effect since Hamas was elected to power there in 2007.

The siege, which is meant to curtail the flow of arms to Hamas, restricts a long list of goods from entering Gaza. The situation was made worse in 2009, when Israel’s Operation Cast Lead attempted to root out Hamas militants. The operation claimed hundreds of Palestinian lives and resulted in millions of dollars in damage to homes and buildings in Gaza.

Israel does not currently allow for construction materials to enter Gaza out of fear that they be used in the construction of military bunkers, but this policy has the effect of not allowing the Palestinians to rebuild since Cast Lead ended last January.  Many homes and businesses are still piles of rubble, and all the foreign aid that gets through is subject to Israeli scrutiny.

It is in this context that the protesters have rallied in Beirut. While the world has been vocal in condemning Israel for it’s restrictions on the Palestinians, those same critics are mostly silent when it comes to the Palestinians treatment in Lebanon. Perhaps it is easier to be critical of Israel, or perhaps it is somehow “less evil” when the mistreatment of the Palestinians comes at the hands of their fellow Arabs. Whatever the case, before the Lebanese point their fingers at Israel, maybe they should examine their own policies regarding the Palestinians.

The situation in Lebanon is very complex. In a country of about 4 million people, about 400,000 are Palestinians. The Palestinians are mostly Sunni Muslims, which is important to consider given Lebanon’s fairly long history of sectarian violence. Some fear that naturalizing them could throw off the delicate sectarian balance that has been achieved in Lebanon since the end of the Civil War in 1990.

However, the “sectarian balance” would only be changed if the government willed it. Real numbers mean little in Lebanon, where an official census has not been taken since 1932. Christians still wield a tremendous amount of power despite many estimates that their numbers have greatly diminished over the last thirty years. Today, the Shiites are thought to be the most populous group.

While naturalizing 400,000 Palestinians in one motion would no doubt cause some disturbances, a gradual and orderly easing of restrictions over time could significantly help to improve the lives of Lebanon’s Palestinians without causing too much of a disruption.

The first step would be opening up the job market to the Palestinians by increasing the numbers of jobs that they are allowed to hold.  Such a move might be unpopular in today’s economic climate, but if it was done in the right way the impact that it would have on Lebanon’s unemployment rate (currently comparable to that of the United States) could be reduced. At least they could start being treated like guest workers from other countries, such as Syria or the United States.

This is just one step in a long process of addressing the suffering of the Palestinians. While it’s romantic and convenient to let them yearn for an eventual return to their homelands, the reality is that they have been in this position for over sixty years, and they are not going anywhere anytime soon. Even in a Two State Solution (which is dead and buried) there is little discussion of the Palestinians of Lebanon. It should be recognized that a large number of impoverished people living in substandard conditions desperately need help.

It should also be recognized that Lebanon is not alone here. While many Palestinians happen to live in Lebanon, it’s not Lebanon’s fault and they should not have to bare the brunt of the refugee’s social and economic impact. The “international community”, especially that of the Arab world, should be ready to help Lebanon with whatever it needs in terms of humanitarian and development aid. (Too often,”generous” parties, such as Iran, are comfortable with supplying the Palestinians only with weapons to satisfy their own selfish interests.) With the help of the UN, Lebanon could build camps to fully accommodate the refugee population, and modernize the existing camps so they are up to code with a reasonable standard of living.

While no one is entitled to the standard of living of Beirut’s rich and glamorous, it is clear that whatever resources and opportunities Lebanon’s Palestinians do have is not enough.